In an official statement, the Portugese organization explained that the decision followed extensive internal discussions about the future of the team. They described the roster changes as the end of a significant chapter for SAW, one that is especially difficult not only for the players and staff but also for their dedicated supporters.
roman’s departure is a big moment for SAW, marking the end of a long chapter in the team’s history. The 32-year-old has been a core part of the roster for over five years, going through both tough setbacks and major victories. He was there for heartbreaking losses, like when SAW narrowly missed out on qualifying for PGL Major Antwerp after a last-minute defeat to Outsiders. But he also played a key role in some of their biggest achievements, including a top-four finish at IEM Cologne 2024 and climbing to No. 9 in HLTV’s world rankings.
Shr, meanwhile, only joined SAW at the start of the year but struggled to make his mark, finishing with a 0.88 rating across 13 maps.
This roster shake-up is just the latest in a series of shifts that SAW has undergone in recent months. Late last year, the team had already seen two key departures when Rafael “arrozdoce” Wing and Michel "ewjerkz" Pinto left. At first, SAW managed to steady themselves despite losing arrozdoce, even going on to secure an important victory at ESL Challenger Katowice. However, things started to unravel after ewjerkz’s exit. The team struggled to maintain their form, and their performances took a noticeable dip.
SAW has had a rough start to 2025, winning just one of the six series. Their struggles were evident in BLAST Bounty and IEM Katowice, where they suffered early exits without winning a single map. These poor results suggest deeper issues that the upcoming roster changes aim to fix.
Once roman and Shr part ways with the organization, the SAW roster will be shrunk down to just three players from Portugal: Christopher "MUTiRiS" Fernandes, João "story" Vieira, and André "Ag1l" Gil, along with Swedish coach Maikil "Golden" Selim.
